Ramdev after attending a press conference in New Delhi on Friday. (Source: EXPRESS PHOTO BY PRAVEEN KHANNA)

A day after Rajya Sabha witnessed MPs across parties agitating against a fertility drug marketed by Patanjali whose name suggests it helps in giving birth to a son, yoga guru Baba Ramdev alleged that the controversy has been raked up to defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He reiterated his clarification that the brand name is merely a derivative of the scientific name of the concerned herb Putranjiva roxburghii Wall.

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“On one hand there is the fakir (himself) and on the other hand there is the wazir (minister). It’s being said that when the Prime Minister is saying ‘Beti Bachao’, his closest man is saying ‘Beta Badhao’. Essentially insult the fakir and tarnish the wazir’s name is the method,” he said. He ruled out changing the name of the drug. However, he added that should the name cause too much confusion, he would consider adding a disclaimer on the label that the drug does not make any claims about the gender of the child.

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“If there is too much noise we will just add a line on the label that this drug makes no promises about the gender of the child,” he said.

On Friday, during Zero Hour in the Upper House, JD (U) MP K C Tyagi had brandished packets of Putrajeevak questioning why a medicine that so openly claims to give birth to a boy is being allowed to be sold. MPs from all opposition parties took the matter up with SP’s Jaya Bachchan placing a packet in front of health minister J P Nadda who had to assure the House that the matter would be looked into.

Ramdev took Jaya Bachchan on saying that given that she is no longer acting in movies she is filling her spare time demanding bans on products.

“MPs who have no clue about Ayurveda should be ashamed and should apologise to the nation. The medicine (pack) does not say anywhere that it helps in producing a son. The name has simply been derived from its scientific name ‘Putranjiva roxburghii Wall’ and has got nothing to do with the promise of a son. Lying in the Parliament is a national crime,” he said accusing Tyagi of peddling lies.

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Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution minister Ram Vilas Paswan said the health minister has asked for looking into the matter.

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“It is a gender issue. If you are asking for only a male child, it is illegal. The health minister has asked to look into the matter,” he said while reacting to the uproar in the Rajya Sabha over the drug sold by Divya Pharmacy.